Process The Podcast

🎙️ Sophie Hood on Building Seoul Tonic: From Australia to New York, Amazon, Retail Strategy & Scaling a Wellness Brand
What does it really take to build a modern wellness brand and have the ambition to take it global?
In this episode of Process, Arielle Thomas sits down with Sophie Hood, founder of cult-favourite tonic brand Seoul Tonic, to unpack the creative and commercial decisions behind moving to New York, scaling through retail, navigating Amazon, and positioning a product for international success.
Sophie is one of Australia’s most exciting women-led founders to watch, and in this conversation, she shares the unfiltered reality of entrepreneurship: from winning Food Stars and landing major retail opportunities, to managing inventory pressure, pitching airlines like Qantas, and building a brand that resonates in the hyper-competitive U.S. market.
This episode is a masterclass in creativity meeting commerce. Perfect for founders, brand builders, marketers and anyone curious about what it actually takes to turn an idea into a global consumer brand.
✨ In this episode, Sophie and Arielle cover:
Moving from Australia to New York and why global ambition changes everything

The early creative vision behind Seoul Tonic and finding product-market fit

What winning Food Stars taught Sophie about pressure and opportunity

How to position a wellness product for premium retail

Scaling from independent stores to national distribution

Inventory, supply chains and the realities of cash flow

Why community and in-store experience matter more than ever

The brutal truth about launching in the U.S. market

How Amazon really works. Seller Central, fulfilment and margin games

Differences between U.S. and Australian e-commerce

Pitching to major partners like Qantas

Launching new product lines and beauty brands

Why financial modelling is a non-negotiable skill for founders

Her up-and-coming 2nd business, this time in the beauty space!

Find Sophie on Instagram here.
Find Seoul Tonic on Instagram here.
Find Process the Podcast on Instagram here.
Find your host Arielle Thomas on Instagram here.

See you next Tuesday!

Welcome to episode two of Backbone! The four-part mini series where we discuss the financial side of building a business.
Today, we get into the structures that sit underneath your business and the tax impacts of each!
Whether you’re just starting out, running a side hustle, or transitioning into something more complex, the way your business is set up has real implications for tax, cash flow, and risk. And yet, this is one of the least openly discussed parts of being a founder.
So, this week, we have the candid tax conversation that no one seems to be having.
In this episode, we cover:
• The common business structures available to new and growing business owners
• How and when structures tend to change as your business becomes more complex
• The tax realities founders often avoid (and why that’s risky)
• Our perspective on when to bring in an accountant, bookkeeper, or advisor and what to look for.

This episode is brought to you by Notion - and by far one of our favourite tools, Notion Agent. Notion Agent is fundamentally different from typical AI tools. Instead of just suggesting or chatting, it completes tasks end-to-end, turning days of manual work into minutes.
It acts like a Notion super user that understands your workspace, your working style, and how you like things done - helping you stay organised, clear, and accountable as you build.
Let Notion Agent do the heavy lifting for you at ⁠Notion.⁠

Legendary fashion and celebrity photographer Ben Watts joins Process for a conversation about longevity, instinct, and building a career in one of the most competitive creative industries in the world.
From photographing icons like Heath Ledger to navigating the shift from film to digital, Ben opens up about the mindset that has sustained his decades-long career. Why being a great photographer starts with being a good people person, how to develop a recognisable style, and what it really takes to earn trust with world-famous talent.
Host Arielle Thomas and Ben dive into the realities of hustling early on, the impact of social media on modern creatives, and why dignity, curiosity, and enjoyment remain at the core of meaningful work.
It’s an honest, insightful look at how to stay creatively fulfilled while operating at the highest level.
Why being a people person is as important as technical skill

How Ben built trust with A-list talent

The difference between chasing trends and developing a signature style

What the transition from film to digital changed forever

How social media reshaped the photography industry

The role of hustle and adaptability in long creative careers

Why dignity and professionalism still set people apart

Staying authentic in a competitive field

Finding joy in the process—not just the outcomes

Becoming the person people want to hire again and again

Find Ben on Instagram here.
Find Ben's extensive portfolio of work on Art Dept.
Find Process the Podcast for the visuals of Ben's work and this episode here.
Find your host, Arielle Thomas on Instagram here.

Welcome to Backbone: a four-part mini series all about the financial backbone of building a business, side hustle, or freelance career.
We talk endlessly about the exciting parts of building something - the idea, the creativity, the passion, the momentum. But behind the scenes, it’s often the money side that feels confusing, intimidating, or easy to avoid. And more often than not, businesses fail because the financials were ignored.
There’s a huge gap in how openly we talk about money as founders. The messy bits. The avoidance. The “I’ll deal with it later” moments. This series is about closing that gap and helping you build confidence with your numbers.
Episode one starts with the foundation: accountability. Not outsourcing responsibility, but learning to work alongside experts and developing the mindset that you need to understand what’s happening with the money in your business.
In this episode, we cover:
What an accountability mindset really means
The common barriers that stop founders from taking control of their finances
How to shift from pure creativity into commercial
Practical, realistic ways to build money check-ins into your routine
If you hear us mention the Money Type Quiz, you can find it here: Money Type Quiz
And if you hear us yapping about finding new communities that support you, we recommend Butter App
This episode is brought to you by Notion - and by far one of our favourite tools, Notion Agent. Notion Agent is fundamentally different from typical AI tools. Instead of just suggesting or chatting, it completes tasks end-to-end, turning days of manual work into minutes.
It acts like a Notion super user that understands your workspace, your working style, and how you like things done - helping you stay organised, clear, and accountable as you build.
Let Notion Agent do the heavy lifting for you at ⁠Notion.⁠

Find Process the Podcast on Instagram here.
Find So Invested on Instagram here.
See you next Thursday!

In this episode of Process, host Arielle Thomas sits down with American mindset and confidence coach Brian Siegal to unpack how creatives and entrepreneurs can break free from limiting beliefs, perfectionism, and procrastination, and build a mindset that actually supports growth.
Brian shares his deeply personal journey from struggling with obesity and self-doubt to becoming a sought-after coach for creatives, founders, and high performers. Together, Arielle and Brian explore how identity, self-talk, and unconscious narratives shape the way we show up, and how to actively rewrite them.
This conversation is both practical and perspective-shifting, offering tools you can apply immediately if you’re feeling stuck, overwhelmed, or caught in cycles of overthinking and inaction.
Whether you’re a creative entrepreneur, founder, or someone craving more confidence and clarity, this episode is a masterclass in mindset coaching, personal growth, and creative self-leadership.
How limiting beliefs silently sabotage creative confidence and momentum

Why procrastination is often rooted in fear, not laziness

The role of self-awareness in personal and professional growth

How Brian reframes mindset challenges with creatives and entrepreneurs

The Wheel of Life exercise and how to use it to assess balance and direction

Why accountability and community accelerate creative success

How perfectionism blocks progress — and how to move forward anyway

What to look for when choosing the right mindset or confidence coach

Mindset coaching for creatives

Confidence-building for entrepreneurs

Overcoming procrastination and perfectionism

Personal growth and self-belief

Reframing limiting beliefs

Accountability in the creative process

Growth mindset tools and exercises

This episode is for:
Creative entrepreneurs feeling stuck or self-doubting

Founders navigating fear, burnout, or indecision

Anyone struggling with confidence, procrastination, or perfectionism

Creatives looking to build a sustainable, growth-oriented mindset

“Why do I know what to do, but still don’t do it?”

“How do I stop overthinking and start taking action?”

“How can I build confidence without waiting to feel ready?”

About Brian
Brian Siegal is an American mindset and confidence coach who works with creatives and entrepreneurs to dismantle limiting beliefs, strengthen self-trust, and build clarity-driven momentum. Drawing from his own lived experience of personal transformation, Brian helps high-performing individuals align their inner narrative with the life and work they want to create.
About Arielle
Process is hosted by Arielle Thomas, exploring the behind-the-scenes thinking, habits, and systems that shape creative success. Each episode breaks down the inner and outer work required to build meaningful careers and lives.